Beautiful
by svlpjes16
Summary: While the group sits around the fire one night, the discussion turns to that of the experience of feeling an unborn baby kick. Everyone has felt the wonderful sensastion at some point in their lives. That is, except one country boy redneck. Daryl is embarassed and uncomfortable with the idea, but a very pregnant Lori will not let her friend pass on the oppurtunity she's giving him.


_**Hey guys! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy! This was just a little idea I had, and I really wanted to write it! It gets more Daryl centered as the story goes on! Just a one-shot, but please let me know what you think! Thanks! I don't own the Walking Dead or the characters.**_

They were all sitting around the fire. It was cold. It was dark. And, the closer they were to one another, the better they felt. The warmer they felt. The happier. So, they all sat around the fire eating something Daryl had killed in the woods. Some of them had long since stopped asking. Squirrels? Beavers? Possums? They just ate it. Sometimes they convinced themselves that it tasted like chicken. And sometimes it even worked.

Somehow the topic of discussion had turned to pregnancy. Beth and Maggie sat crowded around Lori, staring at her belly that had started to show, and was only getting bigger and bigger each day. Everyone else had turned to look at her too.

"What does it feel like?" Beth asked her quickly, leaning closer and closer to Lori's belly.

Maggie leaned closer too. "Is it amazing?"

Lori nodded her head. "Yea, it is. It's pretty amazing." Lori smiled and looked at each of the girl's before looking around at everyone else. She looked back to each of them. "You want to feel?"

"Really?" Beth asked quickly. "You don't mind?" She had already started to lean closer, her hand hovering over Lori's belly. Maggie's too.

Lori let out a soft laugh. "No, absolutely. Go ahead." She smiled at the girls, and they quickly but gently placed their hands on Lori's belly. Everyone was quiet for a few seconds, and each of the girls' faces became very concentrated. After a few seconds they jumped a little and immediately started to laugh.

"That's so strange!" Maggie laughed. "I can feel it, I can feel it!" She looked around at everyone, and saw they too were looking at Lori's belly. She couldn't help but catch eyes with Glenn. He was smiling at her.

"Me too!" Beth smiled. "Oh, wow, that's cool"

"I know, isn't it?" Lori asked. "Kicking a lot today" She looked to Rick quickly. He hadn't really spoken to her all that much since she blew up at him about Shane. But, he was looking at her. Smiling. No. Not her. Her belly. The baby. But, that was good enough for her for now.

"Does it hurt you?"

Lori looked up quickly and saw Glenn looking at her from across the fire. She smiled at him. He really was a sweet kid. God, he was just a kid. Couldn't have been more than twenty fi ve.

"No" Lori smiled as she shook her head. She placed her hand over her belly. "It just tickles if anything"

Glenn nodded, smiled at her, and looked down at the ground quickly before catching eyes with Maggie. She smiled at him.

"How much longer now?" Carl asked quickly, looking at his mom. He too placed his hand on his mom's belly. "Not too much, right?"

Lori nodded. "Right" She softly tussled Carl's hair, and she smiled when he pulled away and let out a groan. Everyone else seemed to find amusement in it too. "Only about another month or two. I'm in what they call the 'third trimester'". Who 'they' was anymore, she wasn't sure. But, it had been several months since she had found out she was pregnant, and she could only guess.

"I remember . . ." A voice across the fire spoke softly, and everyone looked around to see who it was. Carol.

The light from the flames illuminated her face, created a glint in her eyes. "I remember when I was pregnant with Sophia . . ." She inhaled deeply, and everyone looked to the ground. The fire. The woods. Anywhere but her eyes. Everyone except the country boy redneck sitting directly across the fire. The same glint expelled from his eyes too, as the fire cast its light upon him. Beaming off her watery eyes, and his too, she could have sworn, but he would never have admitted it. They shared a look for a second, just a second, and then Carol started again.

"She kicked a lot in the third trimester" She let out a soft laugh, and everyone else followed suit. Daryl gave her a soft smile, and Carol nodded her appreciation.

It was quiet for a few long minutes before anyone thought of anything else to say. Lori was the first to break the silence.

"Woah" She smiled again, placing her hand over her belly. "There it goes again" She laughed slightly and everyone else admired the simple look of pure happiness that covered her face. It was a rare look, a rare feeling, and it was only getting more rare with each passing day.

Glenn slowly started toward Lori from across the fire. He glanced quickly at Maggie, then to Rick, before continuing his way toward her. "You mind if I – ugh –" Glenn gestured toward her stomach, his cheeks flushing quickly to a deep red, one perhaps even a shade deeper than his Daryl dared night of drinking at the CDC.

Lori nodded quickly, a smile covering her face. She straightened up a little bit. "Of course, absolutely, sweetie. Go ahead"

Glenn nodded, and then smiled in relief. They were close, he knew that. They all were. But, something about touching a woman's pregnant belly made him a little uneasy. Especially when that woman's husband was a mere few feet away from him. That baby's father. Well . . .

Glenn softly placed his hand on Lori's stomach, and everyone seemed to watch on in silence as he did so. He smiled almost immediately, and let out a strange little noise when he felt it kick his hand. "Ohhh awwwughh" Glenn smiled. He placed his hand on Lori's stomach again, and waited for another kick. It came within seconds. He smiled even greater than he had a few seconds earlier, and quickly looked around at the group, slightly surprised to see them all staring back at him.

Maggie smiled at him. Something about the sight of him ohhhing and ahhhhing over a pregnant belly made her extremely happy. She knew it wasn't even close to the right time at all to be thinking about stuff like that, but she couldn't help it. She smiled.

"Reminds me of when my sisters were pregnant with my nieces and nephews" Glenn said quietly. His smile started to fade a little, wondering what had happened to them. All of them. His parents. Sisters. Brother in laws. Nieces. Nephews. Everyone. But, then he quickly thought of their smiling faces. The way they laughed or joked or hugged, and he started to smile a little bit more. He would always remember that. And he would never let the tragedy overwhelming this new world take that from him. Not that.

"I hear that" T- Dawg laughed, and everyone focused on him. "Four sisters, man, and every one of them had kids. Don't think there's been a time in the last ten years when at least one of them wasn't pregnant." His smile grew quickly and he laughed at the memories none of the rest of them could see. And then he got quiet. He raised his water bottle to his mouth and took a long, slow sip. "God, I miss them"

It was quiet, but everyone heard. Everyone nodded. It was tough. Hard. Gruelling. Nearly impossible most days. Losing the people you cared about most in the entire world, the people you knew the best, the people that knew you the best, the people you shared memories with, stories with, experiences with, life with. It was devastating. Utterly and completely devastating. Lori felt it, and she was one of the luckiest ones. She had Rick. She had Carl. She still had her family. And, she was one of the only ones who did.

Nobody really knew what to say. And nobody wanted to be the one to break the silence. So, they all sat there, huddled around the fire, finishing their dinner. Thinking, pondering, wondering.

Glenn was the one to break the silence this time. His upbeat, chipper attitude, and optimistic approach was usually the one to lighten the mood, change the subject, do the hard job of making every one talk again, make them feel alright again, even if it was just for a little while. It was hard. But, he always did it. And, it always worked.

"What about you?" Glenn said, gesturing across the fire toward Daryl. "You've been very quiet" Glenn smiled, and everyone turned to face the crossbow wielding redneck.

Daryl looked around quickly, somewhat startled by the spotlight. He dug the tip of his boot into the dirt, and watched it as he did so. He looked back up slowly. "So?"

"Sooo," Lori continued, "Have you ever felt a baby kick?" She looked at him, eyes almost as wide as her smile. Amusement all but pouring out of them. He looked back, face scrunched in confusion. He shrugged heavily.

"You haven't have you?" Carol asked, smiling as well. Daryl grew slightly uncomfortable under the gaze of all these people. He looked around. Lori. Glenn. Carol. T-Dawg. Maggie. Even Rick. They were all looking directly at him. So, he picked up his crossbow and ran his hand along the edge smoothing it.

"So what?" Daryl growled quickly, refusing to shift his gaze from the black metal. But it didn't matter, he could still feel them all looking at him.

Glenn laughed. That little chuckle, giggly sort of laugh he got when he was really excited. Almost like the one he had had driving that stolen red car back to camp that time. _That_ had been fun.

Growing slightly defensive, Daryl spat, "Why'd I ever do that? I ain't know nobody with kids." Daryl quickly shot his eyes to Glenn. "And, I ain't got fifteen sisters neither" He looked quickly at T-Dawg too before looking back down at his crossbow.

He was embarrassed. Defensive. He usually got defensive when he was embarrassed. They all knew him well enough now to know that. So, Lori smiled at him.

"You got me" She said softly, and he brought his eyes up slowly to meet hers. Everyone else became silent. Daryl's heartbeat started pounding five hundred times faster. Hard, right against his chest. Was she insinuating what he thought she was? He didn't know how to feel about that.

Daryl didn't say anything, so after a few seconds, Lori took it upon herself to speak again. "Oh, come on Daryl. Can't have you walking around never having felt a baby kick, when I'm sitting right here" She laughed, and everyone else gave a small smile.

Except Daryl. He shook his head. "No thanks" He felt more uncomfortable than he had ever felt in his entire life. Well, maybe not his entire life. But since he knew these people? Yes.

Everyone else took it upon themselves to convince him. And it seemed like everyone started talking at once.

"It's amazing, Daryl, really, you have to feel it" Glenn eyed him carefully, hoping his comments weren't going to earn him a punch to the face. Or, an arrow to the leg.

"It's so beautiful" Carol added. And when she spoke, he looked her way. He listened. "It's one of the most beautiful experiences" They met eyes. And hers said it all. She was telling the truth. She was sincere and passionate and loving. And he believed her.

Daryl looked Lori's way and they met eyes. She hadn't looked away. She was still smiling at him, and with Carol's words in his head, he couldn't help but smile back. And she knew that he had been convinced.

"Alright then" Lori said with a smile as she started to lift herself up off the log she had been sitting on. Daryl quickly jumped up, and gestured with his hands for her to stop. "I'll come to you" He said, in that thick southern drawl of his. He really was quite the southern gentleman. When it mattered.

She starred at him the entire five foot walk to her. Everyone did. And it was quiet, so quiet. He looked around at everyone quickly. "What? Didn't realize I was so interestin'"

Everyone laughed. "When Daryl Dixon feels a baby kick? Yea, I'd say that's about the most interesting anything could ever get." Glenn laughed, and everyone else followed.

And, as Daryl walked toward Lori, he couldn't help but let out a laugh himself. The kid was right. This _was_ interesting. If someone had told him a year ago that this is how he'd act, he probably would have punched them in the face. This wasn't him. But it was. Maybe it wasn't the old him. But, even then, Daryl couldn't help but think that he would have traded in his old attitude for this one any day. He was glad that he wasn't that way anymore. Part of him knew he always had it in him. He had always felt this way, to an extent. He'd just been too scared to express it. But, he was glad that he was different now. That he was more open. More caring. More sympathetic. More loving. And, he was just as glad that he could admit to himself that he liked it. He smiled.

He was standing right above Lori when he stopped. He had no idea what to do? Did he just reach down? Just touch her stomach? That seemed so unbelievably weird to him.

He grew nervous. He bit his thumbnail for a second or two before realizing what he was doing, and quickly put his hand down by his side.

He looked to Rick, who was sitting a few feet away. He had too. It was the right thing to do, right? Of course it was.

Daryl gave him a look, a certain, 'Is this okay? Are you sure you're alright with this' kind of look. And, Rick understood immediately, and he nodded. And the way his eyes looked when he looked back at him, Daryl knew that Rick appreciated the gesture of respect. After all, he was a gentleman. They both were.

"Go ahead" Rick smiled at Daryl. "I think we're all excited to see this"

Daryl smiled as everyone else gave a soft laugh, and then gave Rick a soft 'thank you' nod. And, Daryl gave him one back. It was a certain communication people could only master after being friends for a while. Only after being _great_ friends with someone. And, even though they had barely known each other a year, it wasn't a stretch to say that each man was one of the best friends the other had ever had. And they knew that.

Daryl quickly looked back down to meet Lori's eyes as he hovered above her. He started to move his hand toward her belly, and then stopped. Started again, in a different direction, and then stopped. Started again, got a little closer, and then quickly pulled back, unaware of how best to approach this.

Suddenly, Daryl felt Lori grip his wrist softly. He met her eyes and she nodded at him, offering him an encouraging smile. He smiled back.

And then, Lori slowly moved Daryl's hand toward her belly. She placed it on her belly gently, and as his hand pressed softly against her, she slowly gave the top of his hand a little rub of reassurance before slowly letting go.

She stared at him the entire time. So did everyone else. But, Daryl was too focused on Lori's belly to even notice. His hand felt warm, pressed against her belly, and although it felt strange, it did feel wonderful at the same time. It was a feeling he'd never felt before, and all he could do was smile.

After a few seconds he felt a little kick against his hand, and he almost jumped in surprise. It was amazing. More than amazing. It was absolutely incredible. He loved it. It felt so right. So perfect. So wonderful. He had felt nothing like it ever before in his life. Experienced nothing like it ever before in his life. "It's beautiful" He said softly.

He slowly slid his hand across Lori's belly, crouching beside her, and waited for the baby to kick again. When it did, he smiled greater than anyone had ever seen him smile before. "Beautiful" He said again. He softly patted her stomach, imagining the little baby in there, and thinking about what he or she would be like when they were born. And, it was so strange and yet so amazing to him that he could touch someone, feel them, before they were even born. He couldn't wait to meet them.

Daryl stood up slowly and gave Lori a nod. He smiled at her, that charming, rare smile he barely ever showed, and she smiled back at him. He had almost started to walk away, when she gestured for him to bend down to her again. He understood her request and slowly bent down beside her, and when he did, she leaned over and placed a small kiss on his cheek.

"I'm proud of you" She whispered to him.

His cheeks immediately became red, and he had that feeling he always did when people complimented him, or hugged him, or, well, kissed him. He wasn't sure what to do. He was awkward and embarrassed and uneasy. He looked around quickly, started to speak, but stuttered, and then stood up quickly.

"Ugh, thanks" He said softly, running his hand through his messy hair, and quickly returning to the log he had been sitting on. He picked up his crossbow, and started to clean it, as he thought about the baby that would be born soon. It was quiet for several seconds, so he looked up at everyone. But they weren't laughing, or making fun of him. They were smiling. They had that look in their eyes. _They_ had just felt something beautiful too.

"It does kick a lot" Daryl said softly, and everyone started to laugh.

"Amazing, right?" Carol asked softly. She gave him a smile, and he gave her one right back.

He nodded as he smiled at her, and everyone else started to smile too. "Incredible" Daryl said, his voice so genuine and full of emotion. He looked around at everyone staring back at him and he started to laugh.

"Quite a kicker" Daryl nodded and then gestured toward Lori's belly, "that baby's sure gunna be a little ass kicker." He smiled wide, letting out his rugged laugh, and everyone else joined in.

_**Thanks for reading! Please review! I really appreciate it, and I really enjoy getting feedback! So, if you liked it (or even if you didn't, constructive criticism is welcome too), please review! Thanks!**_


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